29 March 2024

SOLEMN PARISH NOVENA OCTOBER 1ST-9TH

The Parish Novena begins Saturday 1st at 7.00a.m.  Directed by the Redemptorist Fathers, it is part of our Year of Faith celebrations and will focus on the Eucharist in this year of preparation for the Eucharistic Congress.  The invitation to come is extended to everybody.

The sessions are as follows:
Saturday 1st  7.00 a.m, 7.30pm 
Sunday 2nd  8.30am,10.00am, 11.30am, 1.00pm &  7.30pm
Monday – Friday  7.00am,10.00am,7.30pm & 9.00 pm
Saturday 8th   7.00am, 10.00am, 2.00pm Mass & Anointing of the Sick;  7.30pm
Sunday 9th    8.30am,10.00am with  Blessing of Babies and Small Children, 11.30am, 1.00pm

The Parish Novena continues during the week.  The invitation to come is extended to everybody.
Our Lady calls us to our senses, calls us to pray, to take time out for ourselves and make time for God who loves us. These 9 days of prayer will provide an opportunity to explore the importance of God  in our lives, in the nuts and bolts of daily living. The Redemptorist Fathers will reflect on a God who loves us, on a God who gave us the Eucharist as a constant reminder of God's love for us and the  importance of living in community, living in harmony with each other, the importance of being the face of Christ to one another.
Maybe you have lost a job, maybe you are struggling financially, maybe you have lost a loved one, maybe life is not turning out as you had hoped and dreamed. The nine days, the novena, provides a space to come before the Lord, to come before Our Lady to seek understanding, to receive strength to continue on. Maybe life is good for you, maybe you have recently given birth, maybe you have recently married, or got a job, or passed exams, or have overcome a hurt. The novena provides a chance to come before the Lord to give thanks.
Whatever the reason for coming, it will be good to pray together for 9 days, to joyfully celebrate together our faith as a parish community for 9 days, to stand in solidarity with one another. These 9 days provide us with an opportunity to humbly give witness to God, to humbly ask God’s help in our lives and to humbly strengthen each other's faith by our presence here at the ceremonies.